AxedBy the Cleveland Indians, manager John McNamara, who was 102-137 since taking over the Tribe in November 1989. The Indians, who have won only eight games since the beginning of June, are on pace to lose 100 games for the third time in the past seven years. "It's frustrating for the players when a guy like Mac is fired," said DH Chris James, "because he's near the end of his career and you want to win him a championship." The Tribe has finished higher than third place in the American League East just once since 1954.

JumpedFrom Cal's eight-man shell into the Thames River in London, frosh oarsman Matt Clark, during a race against Ireland's Neptune crew at the Henley Royal Regatta. Clark, whose seat jammed halfway through the 2,100-meter race, executed a near-flawless tuck-and-roll into the tar-colored Thames in hopes of lightening the Golden Bear boat. Despite Clark's gallant plunge, Cal still lost.

ApologizedTo San Diego Padres manager Greg Riddoch, Padres catcher Benito Santiago, after he accidentally beaned Riddoch with a batting helmet. In the sixth inning of the Padres' 4-1 loss to the Dodgers on July 2, Santiago tossed his helmet in disgust after grounding out. The helmet skipped into the dugout, where it ricocheted off the side of pitching coach Mike Roarke's head and hit Riddoch on the right temple. After the incident, Riddoch, who suffered a mild concussion, was given a cycling helmet complete with rearview mirrors. A HARD HAT AREA sign was also posted in the dugout.

SlicedAbove his left eye, Michael Jordan, when he was inadvertently hit by Detroit Piston guard Lance Blanks during a charity basketball game in Greensboro, N.C. Following the game, Jordan, who scored 40 points in leading his team to a 166-158 win, was taken to a local hospital. Twelve stitches were required to close the gash. However, Jordan seemed more concerned about a Lake Tahoe golf tournament in which he was playing the next day; he called event officials from a hospital pay phone to find out who his partner would be. Said Jordan, "I just hope I'm not paired with [Bill] Laimbeer again."

DiedTennis revolutionary, sportsman and socialite James Van Alen, 88; from injuries sustained after falling off a terrace at his home; in Newport, R.I. Van Alen, who was best known for inventing the tennis tiebreaker and then relentlessly lobbying for its adoption, would often rise and wave a pennant marked with the letters S and D (for sudden death) from his courtside seat to signify the start of a tiebreaker. An advocate of fair play in all competitions, he once proposed that America's Cup crews switch yachts after each race. In 1954, he founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. Van Alen was also known for dressing up in a Victorian costume every Christmas and reading A Visit from St. Nicholas to local children.

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything